Who can still win their conference? What QB cannot play this week? Those questions and more are answered in the Week 10 preview of In The Bleachers. In the first half of the podcast Brian looks at the games from last week and answers questions from the email listeners. In the second half he previews the eight games of the week which are Navy @ Notre Dame, Rutgers @ Connecticut, Texas @ Oklahoma State, Texas A&M @ Oklahoma, Wake Forest @ Virginia, Wisconsin @ Ohio State, and Arizona State @ Oregon. If you haven’t downloaded us via iTunes click here to download this show.

Remember, if you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedbuner but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. Enjoy this week’s episode of In The Bleachers and if you have any questions or comments to the show please email them to inthebleachers AT gmail DOT com.

Rank
1 North Dakota State (16) 8-0
2 Northern Iowa (6) 8-0
3 Montana (4) 8-0
4 UMass (2) 7-1
5 McNeese State 8-0
6 Southern Illinois 7-1
7 Delaware 7-1
8 UNH 6-2
9 Appalachian State 6-2
10 Wofford 7-2
11 Richmond 6-2
12 James Madison 6-2
13 Delaware State 7-1
14 Yale 7-0
15 Elon 6-2
16 Eastern Kentucky 7-2
17 Grambling State 7-1
18 Georgia Southern 6-2
19 Western Illinois 6-3
20 Hofstra 6-2
21 Eastern Illinois 6-3
22 Alabama A&M 7-1
23 Youngstown State 5-4
24 Nicholls State 5-3
25 Villanova 5-3

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Montana State (55), Eastern Washington (53), Central Arkansas (43), San Diego (39), Holy Cross (34), Fordham (30), The Citadel (26), Dayton (25), Cal Poly (19), Harvard (19), Norfolk State (18), Hampton (7), Florida A&M (4), Southern (4), Northern Arizona (3), South Dakota State (2), William & Mary (2).

DROPPED OUT: No. 16 Montana State, No. 23 Norfolk State, No. 24 San Diego.

Once again everyone got burned with Connecticut beating South Florida, and only one person got the Georgia-Florida game correct. Here are the standings after Week 9.

1t. Mike Rizzo - 39-23 (4-4)
1t. Lorena The Dodgerchick - 39-23 (5-3)
3t. Adam Nettina - 38-24 (4-4)
3t. Greg Gowins - 38-24 (6-2)
5. Jim Gindin - 37-25 (5-3)
6t. Bruce Feldman - 36-26 (2-6)
6t. Tony Delbusso - 36-26 (3-5)
8. Charlie Swager - 35-27 (3-5)
9. John Radcliff - 33-29 (4-4)
10t. Brian Sakowski - 31-31 (2-6)
10t. Chris Mason - 31-31 (3-5)
11. Cyril Tircuit - 30-32 (3-5)
12. Jon Johnston - 29-33 (2-6)

1. Ohio State (59) 9-0
2. Boston College (1) 8-0
3. LSU (3) 7-1
4. Oregon 7-1
5. Oklahoma 7-1
6. Arizona State (2) 8-0
7. West Virginia 7-1
8. Kansas 8-0
9. Missouri 7-1
10. Georgia 6-2
11. Virginia Tech 6-2
12. Hawaii 8-0
13. USC 6-2
14. Texas 7-2
15. Michigan 7-2
16. Connecticut 7-1
17. Alabama 6-2
18. Florida 5-3
19. Auburn 6-3
20. South Florida 6-2
21. Wake Forest 6-2
21. Boise State 7-1
23. South Carolina 6-3
24. Tennessee 5-3
25. Clemson 6-2
Others Receiving Votes
Wisconsin 132, California 131, Kentucky 123, Virginia 33, Penn State 30, Purdue 22, Brigham Young 22, Troy 13, Kansas State 12, UCLA 11, Oklahoma State 5, Illinois 4, New Mexico 4, Rutgers 1.
Dropped From Rankings
Kentucky 14, California 18, Virginia 21, Penn State 24, Rutgers 25.

1. Ohio State (56) 9-0
2. Boston College (3) 8-0
3. LSU 7-1
4. Oregon (1) 7-1
5. Oklahoma 7-1
6. Arizona State 8-0
7. West Virginia 7-1
8. Kansas 8-0
9. Missouri 7-1
10. Georgia 6-2
11. Hawaii 8-0
12. Texas 7-2
13. Virginia Tech 6-2
14. Michigan 7-2
15. USC 6-2
16. Auburn 6-3
17. Florida 5-3
18. Alabama 6-2
19. Wisconsin 7-2
20. Connecticut 7-1
21. South Florida 6-2
22. Boise State 7-1
23. Kentucky 6-3
24. Clemson 6-2
25. South Carolina 6-3
Others Receiving Votes
Virginia 119, California 118, Wake Forest 115, Purdue 107, Tennessee 64, Penn State 53, Illinois 21, Kansas State 20, Brigham Young 13, Oklahoma State 11, Cincinnati 8, Texas Tech 8, Vanderbilt 4, Houston 4, Colorado 2, Florida State 2, Oregon State 2.
Dropped From Rankings
Virginia 18, California 20, Penn State 22.

Saturday, October 27th

West Virginia at Rutgers 12 pm ABC
Colorado at Texas Tech 12 pm ABC
Michigan State at Iowa 12 pm ESPN2
Ball State at Illinois 12 pm Big Ten Network
Indiana at Wisconsin 12 pm Big Ten Network
Northwestern at Purdue 12 pm Big Ten Network
Delaware at Navy 1 pm CSTV
USC at Oregon 3 pm Fox Sport Net
Georgia vs. Florida 3:30 pm CBS
Clemson at Maryland 3:30 pm ABC
Nebraska at Texas 3:30 pm ABC
South Florida at Connecticut 3:30 pm CBS
Minnesota at Michigan 3:30 pm ESPN Classic
Rice at Marshall 4:30 pm CSTV
Virginia at NC State 4:30 pm ESPNU
UCLA at Washington State 6:30 pm Fox Sport Net
Kansas at Texas A&M 7 pm ESPN2
South Carolina at Tennessee 7:45 pm ESPN
Ohio State at Penn State 8 pm ABC
Duke at Florida State 8 pm ESPNU
California at Arizona State 10 pm Fox Sport Net

Sunday, October 28th

Central Florida at Southern Miss. 8 pm ESPN

Last week, two teams won with a 0% rating in the Pick ‘Em (Miami and UCLA). Yesterday I posted our picks for the Boston College at Virginia Tech game, and also you can here all of these games broken down on the In The Bleachers Podcast.

Ohio State (69%) at Penn State (31%)

- Happy Valley is anything but for the Sweaters, but Joe Pa will be crapping himself after another Morelli implosion. OSU 21-7. – Chris Mason, In The Bleachers

- Penn State - Can anybody stay #1? Nope. - Tony, Sportsbone TV

- This is where Ohio State falls apart and Jo Pa doesn’t crap himself this year. – John Radcliff, Bastard Sons of Pitfall Marks

- The crowd will be electric and the game will be close, the winner of the turnover battle wins the game. Like two years ago, a key interception will turn the tide in the game. Anthony Morelli will continue his week to week improvement, control the ball, and not turn the ball over. A Justin King interception will trigger the Lions’ victory. Penn State 14-13. – Brian Sakowski, In The Bleachers

- I wouldn’t be surprised if the Nittany Lions pull off the upset, but I think Tressel-ball will win out late in the 4th quarter. – Greg Gowins, Average Joe

USC (39%) at Oregon (61%)

- Look The Ducks are not the Irish. I see Oregon winning big at home. – Greg, Average Joe

- Oregon — USC has been sleepwalking all season long. – Charlie Swager, In The Bleachers

- The Ducks look mighty with this one, as Dennis Dixon re-enters the Heisman chatter. Oregon 31-13. – Chris, In The Bleachers

- USC - Pete Carroll as a DOG. Sign Me Up. - Tony, Sportsbone TV

- USC has struggled on the road and have looked lackluster all season. The Ducks take advantage and win in Eugene. – Brian, In The Bleachers

California (54%) at Arizona State (46%)

- Cal is too good a team to lose three games in a row. - Jon Johnston, Corn Nation

- ASU feasts on bear meat - John, Bastard Sons of Pitfall Marks

- The Sun Devils are going to miss their RB Torain. Without him they do not have a balanced attack and Cal will take advantage of that. – Brian, In The Bleachers

- Can Cal really drop from #2 to out of the top 25 in three weeks? Yep, as the Erickson leads the Sun Devils on their improbable run. – Greg, Average Joe

- In the 2nd quarter, Dennis Erickson gets a call to coach the Dolphins, accepting the gig for the next morning. Meanwhile, Kyle Boller comes back for one last college try and heaves an 80 yard bomb right before his knees hit the ground. If either of these things happen, then ASU loses. If neither happens, ASU still loses 41-30 - Chris, In The Bleachers

Florida (92%) vs Georgia (8%)

- Florida, but close – John, Bastard Sons of Pitfall Marks

- Florida — I still think the Gators are one of the top 5 or 6 teams in the nation. – Charlie, In The Bleachers

- Georgia has looked hot and cold this season. Look for Florida to score a bunch in this game. – Greg, Average Joe

- Florida could win this game with half a Tebow. – Brian, In The Bleachers

- Bulldogs crash the Cocktail Party. - Tony, Sportsbone TV

- The world’s largest cocktail party becomes the world’s largest jorts party. And finally the endless Matthew Stafford vs. Jesus Tebow debate is settled. Florida 24-14. – Chris, In The Bleachers

Kansas (47%) at Texas A&M (53%)

- This is the week Kansas loses. They fought hard against Colorado last week, but I don’t think their defense is good enough to carry them through another week. – Brian, In The Bleachers

- I have nothing to say, except that a Kansas/Notre Dame game would cause a massive sinkhole on the sidelines. A&M in a huge upset, 23-17. – Chris, In The Bleachers

- Mangino the Hutt leads the Jayhawks to a big win in College Station. Franchione will not be able to sit down the rest of the season, his seat will be so hot. – Greg, Average Joe

- Texas A&M can run the ball very well. They’re favored only because they’re at home and Kyle Field is a notoriously tough place to play. I’d rather that Kansas won this game and continued to have a great season, but I think their run is going to end this weekend. – Jon, Corn Nation

- Kansas has to be the most overrated team in the country right now. - Tony, Sportsbone TV

- Kansas has its first real test of the season. I think going on the road will be tough for them, but it will be a close game. – Charlie, In The Bleachers

South Florida (100%) at Connecticut (0%)

- South Florida — The Bulls rebound on the road and knock off the surging Huskies. – Charlie, In The Bleachers

- The Huskies needed OFFICIAL help to beat Louisville and Temple. They won’t get it this week. South Florida wins big. – Brian, In The Bleachers

- Look for the Bulls to bounce back this week after their close loss to Rutgers. – Greg, Average Joe

- In the Big East’s last matchup of unbeaten….. oh, wait… Can the Huskies run the table? Can the refs give them another win? Did you guys know South Florida’s program is only like a decade old? South Florida wins 21-10 – Chris, In The Bleachers

West Virginia (85%) at Rutgers (15%)

- West Virginia — The Mountaineers defense is much improved from last season and this will be the first time that the Scarlet Knights have played against WVU with Pat White as the starter. – Charlie, In The Bleachers

- I think Rutgers might have a bit of a hangover from last week’s big win. The Mountaineers will go home with a W. – Greg, Average Joe

- WVU, Shot to the heart! - John, Bastard Sons of Pitfall Marks

- Rutgers had problems stopping Grothe last week, so what are they going to do when White, Slaton, and Devine attack? The simple answer…lose. – Brian, In The Bleachers

- Two Big East games? Seriously? No MAC love? Tony Soprano tries to take Slaton and White out at the knees, but then realizes that just touching Slaton’s hands is more effective, since he’ll automatically fumble. West Virginia plays with a chip on its shoulder, which would crush Noel Devine if he wasn’t so fast. WVU 41-21. – Chris, In The Bleachers

The “Experts’” Picks for This Week’s Games

Bruce Feldman - Virginia Tech, Ohio State, USC, California, Florida, Texas A&M, South Florida, West Virginia
Brian Sakowski - Virginia Tech, Penn State, Oregon, California, Florida, Texas A&M, South Florida, West Virginia
Charlie Swager - Boston College, Penn State, Oregon, California, Florida, Texas A&M, South Florida, West Virginia
Chris Mason - Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Oregon, California, Florida, Texas A&M, South Florida, West Virginia
John Radcliff - Virginia Tech, Penn State, Oregon, Arizona State, Florida, Kansas, South Florida, West Virginia
Jon Johnston - Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Oregon, California, Florida, Texas A&M, South Florida, Rutgers
Adam Nettina - Boston College, Ohio State, USC, Arizona State, Florida, Texas A&M, South Florida, West Virginia
Mike Rizzo - Boston College, Ohio State, USC, California, Florida, Kansas, South Florida, West Virginia
Jim Gindin - Boston College, Ohio State, Oregon, Arizona State, Florida, Kansas, South Florida, Rutgers
Tony Delbusso - Virginia Tech, Penn State, USC, Arizona State, Georgia, Texas A&M, South Florida, West Virginia
Cyril Tircuit - Virginia Tech, Ohio State, USC, California, Florida, Kansas, South Florida, West Virginia
Greg Gowins - Boston College, Ohio State, Oregon, Arizona State, Florida, Kansas, South Florida, West Virginia
Lorena The Dodgerchick - Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Oregon, Arizona State, Florida, Kansas, South Florida, West Virginia

After 8 long weeks of predicting Big Ten games I can finally say I went perfect with every one of last week’s games. That includes a victory by North Dakota State over Minnesota, but I do know this week will be a rough one. There are a lot of tough, close games to choose.

Ball State at Illinois - Earlier in the season Ball State came within one point of beating Nebraska in Lincoln. Many of us were surprised and believed that Ball State was actually a good team, but we know now that Nebraska just stinks. Illinois is coming off a tough loss at home against Michigan and we’ll find out if this young team is resilient. The Illini will have to find a way to contain the Cardnails’ QB Nate Davis. Davis is a good quarterback that does not turn the ball over much. But he has not seen a defense like Illinois’ yet. The Illini will bounce back and become bowl eligible this weekend, but the Williams’- McGee quarterback race will continue on another week for Ron Zook. Illinois 29-14

Northwestern at Purdue - After two embarrassing losses, the Boilermakers were able to take advantage of a weak Hawkeye team and get back on the winning track while the Wildcats looked less than stellar against Eastern Michigan in their win. Purdue can score, but only weaker teams. Curtis Painter should have a big day against a weak Northwestern secondary. On offense, the Wildcats got Tyrell Sutton back last week and that will only help their rushing attack. Last week Sutton had 122 yards. This will be a high scoring game, but in the end I think Purdue has too much power for Northwestern to handle. Purdue 38-35

Michigan State at Iowa - Iowa is just a mess right now. Kirk Ferentz, once thought as one of the top coaches in the country, has to start wondering if he will even have a job come next season. Their offense cannot do anything and this week they face one of their toughest tests going against the Spartans defensive line led by Jonal Saint-Dic. Power against power as Michigan State’s rushing attack goes against Iowa’s tough run stopping defense. The Spartans should be able to run the ball if Brian Hoyer is able to start off throwing the ball well. If he can keep the Hawkeye’s defense guessing, the Spartans will be able to mix it up and win. Michigan State 24-10

Minnesota at Michigan - This game is a match-up between two teams who have each lost to a FCS school. As we all know Michigan lost to Appalachian State in the first week and the Gophers lost to North Dakota State last week. Both FCS schools were ranked #1 in the FCS Coaches’s poll at the time of their victories. It is still questionable whether or not Mike Hart and Chad Henne will play, but realistically they don’t need them to win. The Wolverines roll with their backups. Michigan 31-9

Indiana at Wisconsin - If the Hoosiers did not turn the ball over so many times in key situations they would have been able to beat the Nittany Lions last week. James Hardy had a big day catching over 140 yards and despite the fumbles, Lewis had a nice day throwing the ball. The Badgers got back on track with a huge thrashing of Northern Illinois. Indiana has the talent on both sides of the ball to beat the Badgers, but I am not sure they are ready to go into a place like Camp Randall and leave with a victory. If you like WR/DB match ups, watch James Hardy vs Jack Ikegwuonu. Hardy will catch another TD pass to extend his streak to 10 games in a row with a touchdown catch, but PJ Hill and the Badgers will be too much for the Hoosiers’ defense to handle. Wisconsin wins in an extremely close one. Wisconsin 28-27

Ohio State at Penn State - The last time Ohio State lost a regular season game; two years ago in Happy Valley. Two of the top defenses in the country will go up against each other in this prime time ABC game, but it will be the offenses that will be under scrutiny. Offensively, both teams average around the same number of yards per game and points per game. This week, Penn State DB Justin King took a lot of criticism from the media and fans for allowing James Hardy to have such a big game. This week he can quiet the critics up as he will be covering Ohio State’s top WR Brian Robiskie. With the game conditions looking to be wet and cold I think that will help the team with the best passing game since the WR know where they are going. The crowd will be electric and the game will be close, the winner of the turnover battle wins the game. Like two years ago, a key interception will turn the tide in the game. Anthony Morelli will continue his week to week improvement, control the ball, and not turn the ball over. A Justin King interception will trigger the Lions’ victory. Penn State 14-13

Last Week: 7-0 (1.000) Overall: 51-13 (.797)

Tonight on ESPN the #2 ranked team in the country, Boston College, travels to hostile Lane Stadium to play Virginia Tech. This will be a true test for the Eagles and could not only solidify their stature atop the college football world but a win could also project Matt Ryan up the Heisman race. This is an ITB game of the week and here are the experts’ pick.

Boston College (42%) at Virginia Tech (58%)

- This is a tough call, as the Hokies are always tough at home. I think BC will outscore VT, though. – Charlie Swager, In The Bleachers

- I could play quarterback and Va. Tech would win this game. – John Radcliiff, Bastard Sons of Pitfall Marks

- One team is better than their record shows. The other team isn’t. I think its time to shut down mattryanforheisman.com tonight. VT wins 31-21. – Chris Mason, In The Bleachers

- Great Thursday night game. Matt Ryan moves to the front of the Heisman line with a great performance. – Greg Gowins, Average Joe

- Virginia Tech has grown a lot since the beginning of the season, and even if Glennon is the QB, I think their defense is good enough to get them this win. –Brian Sakowski, In The Bleachers

Picking Virginia Tech to Win –Bruce, Brian, Jon, Tony, Chris, John, Lorena, and Cyril

Picking Boston College to Win – Adam, Jim, Charlie, Greg, and Mike

Last night I was fortunate enough to be a guest on the Penn State Podcast called The Lion’s ROAR. The Lion’s ROAR is a podcast which is done on Talkshoe and it allows listener and text chat interaction. It is recorded live each Wednesday at 7pm. The host of the show is former Penn State offensive lineman Bill Contz. He was a starter on Penn State’s first-ever national championship team in 1982. He spent seven years in the NFL, and has served as a guest host on Steeler post-game talk shows.

In the podcast we break down the Penn State/Indiana game from last week and preview this week’s game in Happy Valley between Penn State and Ohio State. Bill is a great host because he’ll tell stories about his days at Penn State and give the listeners a little insight since he knows a lot about the Nittany Lion program. You can subscribe to his podcast by going here or download the podcast directly by clicking here. Once again, a special thanks to Bill for having me on the show.